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Three Condolences & The Three Chief Ministers

MY FIRST condolences to the family of the journalist killed in Mumbai on Saturday. Joy Dey, the Investigation Editor with Mid Day, was killed in day light. Soon after, this became the Breaking News all over the media as also the social media.

Whosoever had a voice, quickly condemned the journalist’s murder. Some also demanded from the Maharashtra Chief Minister Prithviraj Chavan to take immediate action against the perpetrators of this crime. C’mmon, we know how safe Mumbai has been, and how safe will it be! If a bullet has your name written on it, it will hit you. Come what may.

Rangers shooting the unarmed man in Pakistan.

So so many murders have taken place in this commercial capital and Bollywood movies vomit crime sequences that we, as a nation, watch and appreciate. Don’t we? Hey, name a chief minister who actually took steps to stop murders in Mumbai.

Just few days back, when an investigating journalist, Syed Saleem Shehzad, was killed in neighbouring Pakistan, entire world poured in to condemn the country. I don’t know how the killing of this Indian journalist is viewed by the same voice-pushers.

MY CONDOLENCES also to the families of the four protesting villagers who fell to some 15 bullets in Bihar, last Friday. A seven-month-old and a pregnant woman are among the victims, all Muslims. Doesn’t it shock you? Gruesome.

These killings in Bihar’s Araria district must test Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar. More so when his deputy Sushil Kumar Modi is being accused of giving political patronage to those against whom the villagers were protesting, as is learnt by Greater Voice.

But can an infant protest? Can a pregnant woman protest? Even otherwise, do protestors deserve to be killed? And consider this, the object of the protest was a boundary wall which the villagers said would cut off the link road to their village.

Besides the infant and the pregnant woman, a bread earner for his family, betel selling 18-year-old Mustaq Ansari, has been killed too. He was on way to offer Friday prayers. Who will read his prayers, now? [Watch an amateur video of the victims of police firing in Forbesganj, Araria in Bihar.] There’s another video which tells the story in just 42 seconds. Click here to watchbut may I warn that it’s repulsive and thus children and those with weak heart are advised against watching this.

Again, I would invoke Pakistan where the grief and anger appeared more strong when their youth Sarfraz Shah was shot dead by the police in a public park the other day, while begging not to be shot. The two shots and his screams of pain were telecast, circulated, published across the world.

And lastly, Alas! no one remains in the family of a Gujarati villager to accept my condolences as all have died of HIV, humiliation, ostracization, loneliness & hunger. At Khadsaliya village in Bhavnagar, one Vinu Gohil and his entire family is dead now.

Vinu died on Wednesday, three days after his three young daughters killed themselves, unable to bear the taunts. Vinu’s wife and their son had already died six years ago because of the virus that they reportedly contracted through infected blood at a hospital.

It is being said that no one in Gujarat is keen to know how the members of this family died. May be they want to hide the fact that it were they who had ostracized and shunned the family that was then forced to leave their home and move to a hut at the edge of the village!